My research focuses on questions at the interface of community ecology, digestive physiology, and life history evolution. I primarily study bees because they represent an excellent system for asking questions about the evolution of mutualistic relationships and the mechanisms that drive these interactions. My work leverages techniques from genetics, chemical ecology, and physiology, and integrates both laboratory and fieldwork components for a more comprehensive perspective of my study system.
Please click on the pictures below to learn more about my research in different areas.
 Fly Taxonomy and EcologyNeophyllomyza quadricornis, the most common species of Neophyllomyza in North America |  Electric Fish EvolutionGymnotus panamensis, one of the banded electric knifefish |  Chemical Ecology of Diet ChoiceAssorted pollen grains showing variable structures |
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 Insect-Microbe InteractionsPeponapis pruinosa nest cell with invading fungus |  Digestive Physiology & PharmacophagyPeponapis pruinosa with visible gut filled with pollen grains. |
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